Wow!
The Little Mermaid will blow you out of the water! Spotlight Theatre has once again presented another uplifting production, of a professional standard, with all the trimmings. Great cast, costumes, set, music and lighting have made Spotlight Theatre's presentation of
The Little Mermaid a sure winner that all ages will enjoy.
The Little Mermaid is a tale by Hans Christian Andersen about mermaid Ariel who falls in love with Prince Eric, a human she sees above the sea. In order for her to pursue her new found love, she needs to make a deal with her evil aunt, sea witch Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. Her decision has serious consequences requiring her father King Triton to relinquish his power to his evil sister in order to spare Ariel from her clutches. It's a story that resonates with many. A rebellious teenager who makes bad decisions; a father trying to protect his children; jealous siblings, and a relative who walks on the dark side wreaking havoc to gain power.
Image courtesy of Spotlight Theatre
Tymyka Wines was well cast as Ariel. She has an air of innocence, a beautiful voice and impressive acting skills. The only thing I felt was lacking in her depiction of Ariel was a touch of feistiness and stubbornness which usually surfaces when you're forbidden from getting your own way. She was very sweet the whole way through the story.
Nicola Barrett, the evil Ursula gave an outstanding performance; her powerful vocals were beyond impressive. She certainly had my full attention whenever she graced the stage. Credit goes to Chris Drummond who played Scuttle. He may not have looked like a seagull, but he was a lot of fun to watch. Sebastian, played by Allan Chang gave an energetic performance, playing the stress-head crab exceptionally well and has certainly mastered stage presence.
Image courtesy of Spotlight Theatre
has a large cast, so it's not possible to credit them individually, but I felt that every cast member gave their own unique contribution to the show. The elaborate costumes, set design, sound and lighting all assisted with giving this production its magical appeal. The dance routines were beautifully performed, especially the 'Under the Sea' number and the tap routine. I really appreciated the clever mobile set changes and the imaginative cotton wool bubble bath.
Some of my favourite songs were, Under the Sea, Les Poisson, Positoovity, She's in Love, Kiss the Girl, Her Voice and Daughters of Triton. It was evident that every member of the cast was having the time of their lives. Their expressions and vibrancy were infectious and I found myself constantly smiling and singing along with the rest of the audience.
Image courtesy of Jacqx Melilli
Co-directors, William Pulley and Rodrigo Medina Noël proved to be a formidable team. The production was of professional standard with excellent choices in casting, choreography, lighting, sound and extravagant costumes. It was spectacular. My only point would be that as portraying creatures is no easy feat, the choice of costumes and makeup is vital to enable the audience to understand what creature the actor is playing. This may come down to a matter of budget, but as someone who has not seen
The Little Mermaid before, I had no idea what sea creature each character was supposed to be. Even though the costumes were beautiful, some of the under the sea characters didn't look like sea creatures.
Image courtesy of Spotlight Theatre
Choreographer, Erin Brummage with the assistance of Rosita Peña and Jamie Watt created magical choreographed dance routines that ranged from tap, contemporary and ballet.
The Little Mermaid radiates a mood-lifting energy with every song, coupled with the visual appeal of colourful and sparkly costumes to represent the reflections from dancing water. There was so much imagination and creativity used to enhance the production such as dangling streamers from umbrellas to depict jellyfish and using cotton wool for Ariel's bubble bath.
The Little Mermaid is one of those productions that you can watch numerous times to catch all the details that you missed the first time. There is so much going on at once that it's impossible to have your eyes on everything.
Spotlight Theatre is the Gold Coast's leading community theatre showcasing top quality productions from the best talent the Gold Coast has to offer. Not only does it allow brilliant young talent to showcase their amazing capabilities but the shows are affordable and such good value.
Spotlight Theatre is set up in dinner theatre style allowing you to sit at a table and enjoy a drink and snack while being entertained. It is a licensed venue offering a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, snacks and even a blanket to wrap around yourself if you find yourself getting chilly in the theatre.
Reviewed on the 8th of February 2019 by Jacquelin Melilli
